Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder Symptoms in the Perinatal Period: Prevalence and Associations with Postpartum Functioning

Abstract

Purpose: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms are more likely to develop or be exacerbated during pregnancy and the postpartum period, which can cause significant distress and impairment. However, the disorders grouped with OCD in the DSM-5, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD; e.g., hoarding disorder (HD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), trichotillomania (TTM), excoriation disorder (ED)), have rarely been examined in the perinatal period. This study aimed to explore: 1) the prevalence of all clinically significant OCRD symptoms in pregnancy and the postpartum period; and 2) the correlations between OCRD psychopathology and postpartum functioning.

Methods: Participants were recruited during their second trimester of pregnancy from a Midwestern medical center. Participants completed an online questionnaire and a semi-structured clinical interview during pregnancy (28-32 weeks gestation, N =276) and the postpartum period (6-8 weeks, N =221).

Results: BDD and OCD symptoms were the most prevalent. In pregnancy, 14.9% (N = 41) of participants endorsed clinically significant BDD symptoms and 6.2% (N = 17) endorsed clinically significant OCD symptoms. In the postpartum period, 11.8% (N = 26) endorsed clinically significant BDD symptoms and 14% (N = 31) endorsed clinically significant OCD symptoms. Poorer postpartum functioning was associated with elevated OCRD symptoms in pregnancy and postpartum.

Conclusions: OCRD symptoms occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period at rates similar or higher than other life periods. Elevated OCRD symptoms are associated with poorer postpartum functioning across domains. Future research should explore how all OCRD symptoms may affect functioning in the perinatal period, not only OCD symptoms.